Back to Fort-Dauphin, Madagascar

We took the Plan from Paris to Madagascar on Sunday 15 June 22, 2008. I couldn’t believe that I met the Hald student from Cameroun in Charles de Gaule airport; we are not supposed to meet there because they left one day before us from Norway. Since that time, I believe that its possible to see again our friends from Hald one day, we need to wait then it will show.
We arrived in Tananarive Sunday evening really late and dark, it was about 23h in evening but its already dark. I missed the light from the sun utill 23h or 24h in Norway. When I saw the darkness in Antananarivo in the first time we arrived in the airport then I felt that I am home again far from the light again. It not problem electricity but we don’t have sun until 23h if you see what I mean. It’s not like in Norway.
Pastor Barson and Gwladys’s Mother picked up us from the airport. My contact person and one driver drive me from the airport to my cousin house. When we arrived there, my cousin wasn’t there. I knocked in the wrong door so I have to say sorry to the neighbor but I didn’t say it in Malagasy , I didn’t realize that I am not in Norway anymore and people doesn’t speak English at all. Barson and the driver had to drive to Sabotsy Namehana because I didn’t know where to sleep and it really late in evening too so I don’t know where to go. I slept in Sabotsy Namehana .
On Monday Morning we had meeting with The FKTLM President, my contact person, our new contact person Helisoa and Doctor Daniel. It was a bite difficult for me to explain and find the word in Malagasy about everything that I have leant in Norway because I used to learn everything in English but it was ok after few hours. I didn’t know how to behave when I talk with the FKTLM President because I used to explain something with my hand but I look strange when I did that during the meeting. I looked many time on my watch when we still waiting someone. I didn’t know that time is running after you in Madagascar not you run after the time. I get angry when the meeting start late but my contact person said you are not in Norway anymore, relax and take your time. Everything went well during the meeting, we learnt a new thing again and I have to think that we are in Madagascar not in Norway anymore.
I arrived in the night in Tana and I stay in Sabotsy Namehana during the day so when I went back to my cousin’s place to stay there, I realize that I am not in Norway anymore because many people walk in the street, inside the bus there is no button that you can press when you want to stop, you have to say “Misy miala” it mean we stop here, they play a music really lowed inside the bus, drive really fast, you don’t have your space and its really noisy around you.
When I arrived in my cousin’s house people, I saw many people smile and give you singe that they are happy to see you again. I get tired to say “hi” to everyone I see because they have to stop and greet them, I was a bite late in my way from Sabotsy Namehana to Ankatso.
I took the Bus from Tananarive to Fort-dauphin on Tuesday afternoon. They ask me to come to the bus station at 12h am with my luggage and I was a bite late because I many traffic in the way from Ankatso to the Bus station so I called them that I will be there in one hours. I get angry when I was there at one o’clock and they didn’t start to fill the car yet. We have to wait until 17h so we stay in the bus station doing nothing and waiting for the Bus will leave, finaly we left Tana around 18h. it was really funny to see inside the bus if I compare the bus that I used to take in Norway. Many people and we sat in the sit supposed to for five people but we are six sit together and I care my hand luggage on my legs, no one listen IPod or read a book but they talk and talk. They have to drive for two days and they drive during the night too because they have two driver and they switch all the time. It was realy hard to sleep in the bus because they drive really fast and you don’t have enough space. There are many policemen in the way from Tana to Fort-dauphin so we have to stop many times. From Ihosy to Ambovombe (105 km before Fort-dauphin) the road was really bad so I become really red from the earth which can come inside the car when they drive really fast and someone open the door or the windows.
I arrived in Fort-Dauphin on Thursday afternoon around 16h; it will be nice to be home again but I really want to go back again to Norway to see friends. I didn’t felt that its really important to see my family and my old friends again.
I brought some gift from Norway to my family and some friends, they were happy to received the gift, they didn’t expect me to be a rich guy because I called my Mum when I was in Paris tell that I didn’t get any money. When they ask me about something, I just answer I have in my mind and I need you to work with me, they expect money or gift.
I was a bite shocked when I met many prostitute in the street and outside the bar or night club in the evening, most of them are teenager. I ask to my friends:” why does Fort-Dauphin has many prostitute, they said: “because of the mining project and the works from abroad like South Africa, Fillipine, and the rest of the world, they can pay much money so the parents send there daughter to find someone who has lot of money”. This is the problem in the poor country and the foreigner profited the situation. The parents need money so their young daughters have to work for the rest of the Family.
I could realize that ten months in Norway it really long and many things can changed during that time. Many family has cars 4x4, people has mobile, many new building, new road, the internet connection work really fast than I expected, new feelings, new song in my choir and on TV and new language.
It’s really nice to heard that most of people in Fort-dauphin speaks English, I can say Fort-dauphin is the first place in Madagascar who speaks English because of the foreigner for South Africa, Canada, Asia……..The national TV (TVM)has emission in English called “TEEN walk”. The English language can’t stop to grow in Madagascar right now, I really like it.
I went to Church on Sunday morning. The Service start at 9h and they start on time but we finished really late compare in Norway. We end at 12h because we had baptism and confirmation. It was realy nice to see many people in the church and different voice when the sing. Everything was in Malagasy so I didn’t need to translate for me like in Norway sometime.
At 19h in evening we had kind of welcome Service for us in my Church and we talk about our stay in Norway. I arrived there at 18h 45mn, I saw only three people in the Church and I ask if I came early or it supposed to be at 19h 30 but they said at 19h. People arrived around 19h 15mn and we start at 19h 30mn. The leader of the meeting arrived 30mn after we started. That was very exiting. Everything went well in Fort-Dauphin and in our Church, people nice to me and kind but I want to go back again in Norway. I hope that I can come back again one day.

That’s all of my life stories since I left Madagascar and back again after ten month.
Thank God, all of the Teacher from Hald , FKTLM, all of my friends from Hald and the rest ….Learn many thing in Norway I hope I can used here in Madagascar all of the good thing that we can use. Hope to see all of friends from Hald again one days.
Thank for all of you

See you next time
ROCK

LAST WEEK IN NORWAY

Finaly I will go back to madagascar on Saturday 14th of June. I am looking forward to go home but I am gonna miss my friend from Hald and the people that I hanged out with in Norway. Nice people leave and nice people come, so it'll not a big problem to get a new friends again.
I have been in Norway for ten month now so I have learnt so far about my self and my future and also about the thing that I want to start in my home twon.
I going home on Saturday but I am not realy to be in my own culture again because I have been changed since my stay here in Norway.

On Thurstaday 12th of june after, the farwall party, the sad time start for everyone. Class is over and the stay in Norway is over for the international students. I though that it will be easy to leave friends from Hald so I try to be happy and not to think that I am going home. I looked arround and I saw the sadness on their face but I keep smily. On thursday too it was my first time to see peoeple handed out in the living Room and they didnt feel tired utill the first taxi came to pick up some student who will take the plan back home at 4h am.
I didnt cry when I saw my friends from east afrika and america latine leaving because I said I am a man but I was realy sad. the second taxi arrived at 8h am pick up the next stundent from cameroun, asia and serbia. I was realy realy tired but I have to say good bye, I couldnt manage to keep smily and laughing even I tried to that; I started to cry when I saw one of my friend from Cameroun take his taxi because, I reameber that its not possible to see himm again and we had agreat time and sharing a problem. I felt that I had brother when he was at hald because when I had problem, he always there to give me solution and I can tell him my problem......

I can say I was lucky because I have one extra day in Norway compare of the rest of the student because they left one day before me. I felt alone when all of the international student left even we still have student from Norway that I can talk with at Hald. but even thou I have good Norwegian friends from hald that I can talk and makes happy again.
Hard to leave Norway but I always think that everthing is possible with God.

I wish I can come back and see again all of friend in Norway as my frends from Thailand say come to visit us.
thats the end of my stay in Norway.
Now its time to be home again.